The Federal Government has set a target to increase Nigeria’s active eye care workforce by 20 per cent by 2030 as part of efforts to expand access to eye health services.
Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, announced the target at the Global Summit for Eye Health in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
In a statement on Tuesday, Salako said the government would strengthen the capacity of health workers to improve access to quality eye care across the country.
He said Nigeria planned to train 15,000 primary healthcare workers as part of efforts to integrate primary eye care into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
The minister said the initiative would support the delivery of essential eye care services, particularly in underserved communities.
He also disclosed that the government would provide five million pairs of ready-made reading spectacles and deliver 25,000 fully subsidised cataract surgeries by 2027.
Salako said Nigeria was targeting a 30-percentage-point increase in Effective Cataract Surgical Coverage by 2030.
He added that the government would mobilise domestic resources and work with international partners to achieve the targets.
The minister said the commitments were part of efforts to improve access to eye care and reduce avoidable blindness, particularly among vulnerable populations.
He noted that vision loss affected more than individual health, with consequences for education, household welfare, personal safety and national productivity.
Salako also stressed the importance of partnerships between government, private organisations and philanthropic institutions in strengthening eye care services.
He said improving the availability and capacity of eye care workers was essential to expanding access to services and ensuring that more Nigerians received timely screening, referrals and treatment.
